Dudley Dursley and the Family reunion
by Darthfeenik
Summary: When their greatest fear strikes again, will the Dursley's be able to handle it?


EDIT 1

Dudley Dursley was in trouble. Not any kind of financial trouble, he was the assistant manager for a very successful lumber yard, a fact his parents Mr. and Mrs. Dursley would remind everyone of this at their dinner parties. He was not in trouble with his health either, thanks to the lumber yard turning his staunch figure into muscular bulk which his father insisted was the hard work of his amateur boxing even though Dudley had not boxed or even entered a gym in a number of years. The trouble was not with his marriage, his wife Veronica was his best friend and the main reason that Dudley moved a little further away from his parents. The source of his trouble and the trouble for his entire family was the source of the fiercely kept secret his parents had now passed on to their son; Harry Potter.

Harry was Dudley's cousin who, after the loss of Harry's parents had come to live with Dursley's for sixteen miserable years. Harry was the child in the house that would never go away and was always looking at his things like he wanted to take them from him. It was because of Harry that he lost his spare room for all of his toys as a child and the reason a snake chased after him on one of his birthdays. Harry Potter was also a wizard.

Dudley was introduced to the wizarding world when he was eleven years old by a giant of a man with a pink umbrella who had used that umbrella to give Dudley a curled pig tail just above his bottom. The tail had been removed, of course, but the scar was still there and so was the memory of that horrible day and that was only the start of his troubles. Every year since then it had been owls, house elves, Harry's murderous God-Father, a toffee that had caused Dudley to nearly choke on his growing tongue and even a Dementor. He had never seen the Dementor, a nasty creature that would guard the wizard prison Azkaban but the effects of the Dementor still lingered to this day. He had felt as if his whole body was in an icy bath and that all his happiness was replaced with dread, like he would never be happy again. If it had not been for his cousin Harry he knew he might have died that day and since Harry did save his life it made him realize that he had not been the best of cousins. The Dementor attack was the turning point for Dudley and his thoughts for his cousin, although the attack only increased his parent's hatred for Harry and anything wizard related.

The world of wizards had also included the whole Dursley family being evacuated and taken abroad for almost two years to protect them from an evil wizard named Voldemort who was intent on killing all the regular, non-magical people. Dudley used this time away to think and reflect of how he had treated his cousin growing up and even though he had bullied him and picked on him his entire life Dudley believed firmly that had he not done those things then Harry would not have been as strong as he was. He was convinced that Harry would have had a much harder time if everyone was soft on him as a child, although he did often feels pangs of guilt in his stomach that felt like someone had dropped an anvil on his chest. Whenever he did feel this way though he would stiffen up and mutter-

"It was all for the best." and then put it out of his mind.

After returning to Privet drive, when the evil wizard was defeated Dudley had been visited by their neighbour Mrs. Figg, an old woman who smelled of cats and used to baby sit Harry when the Dursley's had taken Dudley out for his any number of his birthdays. Mrs. Figg had explained to Dudley that she was sent to live on the street near Harry Potter to keep an eye on Harry and now that her task was complete she wanted to say goodbye to Dudley and to tell him that it was all going to get better from here. She informed Dudley of all that had transpired in his absence and what his Cousin Harry had done; a feat that grown wizards were not capable of. After Mrs. Figg had told him everything she had left and the next day her entire house was empty, even the smell of cats had gone.

Dudley had been deep in thought over the next few days; behavior unnoticed by his usually over watchful mother as she and his father were still in a state of shock after all the events that had transpired. It wasn't until several weeks had passed that the family had returned to normal, Mr. Dursley Dursley returned to his work at Grunnings where he made drills. The reason for his absence was that he had to care for a dying relative who lived overseas. He never gave any more information than that and everyone was too polite to ask anything more. Mrs. Dursley however was worse than ever, even by her own standards. With no Harry to focus their annoyances on Dudley was now in the line of fire. He had gone from the apple of his father's eye, the little angel that his mother cared for to a lay about who was in need of a decent job. His father had tried to get him work with his company but Dudley had decided he would find a job all on his own.

"Wants to prove he's a grown man." Mr. Dursley would chuckle to himself every time his wife would harass him husband to find their son a job. Even Mr. Dursley was aware of the amount his wife had worsened and her harsh gaze made the back of his neck prickle every time he buried his face behind whatever newspaper he happened to be holding.

Finding work had proved difficult for Dudley whose grades were not the best as he had spent most time at school wagging with his friends and finding lone children to tie to trees or in the nearest bathroom. It was harder to find work close to home and he was forced to register with local employment agencies. He had never told his parents this as the people that came to such places were beneath the Dursley's and to be in the same room as them would cause a panic from either of them.

After several long months he had finally found work in a lumber yard, Grieves Lumber under the booming voice and watchful eyes of Mr. Grieves the owner and manager. Mr. Grieves was shorthanded and when he first looked at the fat blonde boy in front of his whose hands were softer than his own silk tie he thought that Dudley would not last a week.

But Working hard and having his hands blister and split gave Dudley such a sense of purpose that even returning home to his mother commenting and complaining on every scratch or bruise he acquired could not take his happy mood away. He worked so far away from home that when the time came for him to move the parting ceremony was more of a funeral than a party. His mother was sobbing as he packed his room and his father just stood and watched and tried to make small talk.

After leaving the all-too-clean house of Mrs. Dursley to his own dim lit and dank apartment he had a glowing in his chest that he had not had before. The apartment was not unclean for long as every time his parents would visit his mother would bring with her what seemed like an entire department stores worth of cleaning supplies.

Dudley had worked long and hard in the lumber yard, enough to be promoted to sales and eventually assistant manager. He had only been working there for over two years when he had met Veronica, who was picketing outside the yard in protest of the trees being cut down. She was tall and slender with dark brown hair and unlike his mother who was boney and pointy she seemed warm and soft.

He had said hello to her most mornings when he shuffled past the angry people brandishing signs with words like "Say no to tree murder" or "Save the trees". She had said hello back and on his lunch breaks he would sit on the street outside the yard and watch them walk in a circle. Eventually she had asked to join him and they had started talking every day about anything and everything. Dudley soon came to realise that she was much smarter than him but she did not address this or make him feel dumb in any way. Veronica told him one day that she was not as keen on protesting as some of her friends and was only there to support her sister who was shorter than Veronica and a lot louder.

"It's not that we don't want houses built, it's that there should be a better way than killing entire rainforests." Veronica had explained to him after he asked why she had joined.

"Well then that's something worth protesting, however we don't kill rainforests, Mr. Grieves owns several hectares of land and grows the trees himself. After one part is cut down, more trees are planted. This way he earns all the money himself and doesn't have to compete with other lumber yards."

Veronica had been shocked by this news and after telling the other protestors they all decided that this place wasn't worth the effort and had begun searching for somewhere else to show their disagreement.

Dudley had sincerely wished he had not said anything, in fact Mr. Grieves had told him not to as the local news was often reporting on the protests and giving the yard free publicity.

"As long as someone is saying your name then it's good for business. I had young Marshall repaint the sign out front and with those cameras reporting everything our sales have doubled!" He had said to Dudley after the first week of protests.

Now he had no one to greet on his way in through the yard and no angry people to shuffle past, his morning was turning out to be quite bleak until he entered the yard with his lunch in one hand and his thermos in the other when he heard hurried footsteps running next to him.

Veronica had rushed over to him and was waving a freshly painted sign.

"What are you protesting now?" Dudley had asked before he read the sign.

"I am protesting lonely lunches." she had said, showing him the new sign which read "There's a cafe round the corner" and had a red arrow pointing up the street.

"Oh" Dudley said, taken aback.

"Meet you there at 11?" Veronica asked.

"Well." Dudley had started saying he was not sure he was allowed to leave the yard for lunch when he saw Veronica slowly lower her sign and the smile fade from her face.

"Better make it 11:30." He said quickly. The smile returned quickly to her face and she waved to him as she took her sign and skipped away. He knew Mr. Grieves had several meetings today and figured if he had a later lunch he might not notice Dudley missing from the yard but Mr. Grieves was smiling at his as soon as Dudley had walked in through the gate. He had seen the whole thing from his office window.

"Finish up the timber for the housing by 11, clear the yard for the next delivery and you can have lunch at 11:30 with the young lady. But I want you back by 2." He said firmly pointing a finger at Dudley.

"Of course sir!" Dudley had not worked so hard in his life and by 11 am, he had cut all the timber needed, swept all the bark chips away and cleared the yard for another truck that had come early with a new load of logs that he had then helped to unload. It was while he was grunting and straining with a thick rope to tie the logs in place that Mr. Grieves had appeared next to him and cleared his throat.

"Aren't you expected somewhere?" He had asked looking at his wristwatch. Dudley glanced at it and had seen that he had five minutes to tie everything up, clean his face and hands and get to the cafe. He had only been a minute late and could see Veronica sitting inside waiting for him while watching a large grandfather clock inside before she noticed him walking in.

Every day after that Mr. Grieves had a list of jobs that needed to be finished and if they were done he could leave for lunch, although every lunch after the first was only an hour instead of three. Every day Dudley worked as hard as he could and would rush out of the gate to the little cafe down the street.

After the years had passed and Dudley finally worked up enough courage to propose they were finally getting married. Mr. Grieves was invited to the wedding, as were a lot of other workers or customers that were good to the yard. Dudley's father was in an element of talking drills and drill bits to other men who worked with saws and saw blades, it was as if he were at a sales office and not his son's wedding.

After the wedding Dudley and Veronica found a nice little house near the lumber yard and near an advertisement agency that Veronica was now working at. She claimed that she had been good at making signs before so why not do it professionally. Dudley and Veronica worked hard at making their home clean and comfortable and Veronica tried not to protest too much when Mrs. Dursley would arrive with her cleaning products to re-clean whatever Veronica had just cleaned.

It was their first Christmas together that Veronica noticed something odd about Dudley who had seemed nervous for a few days and on the day before Christmas she had found him outside smoking a pipe.

"It's nothing dear, just something I need to do each Christmas, like to think about the year." She smiled at her husband and closed the door behind her. Veronica didn't mind that he smoked the pipe but understood that some men need time alone to focus on anything bothering them. It wasn't the pipe that got her curious but the letter that he had been holding in his hand that seemed curious. Putting it out of her mind Veronica went back to preparing the lunch that she had started for Christmas with her in-laws. Since it was the first Christmas in their new home it had been decided that the newlyweds would host. For the two weeks prior to Christmas Veronica had dusted, vacuumed and polished every surface she could find, sometimes two or three times a day.

"Honestly." She had said to Dudley after they had waved his parents off after their visit.

"I cleaned the house to an inch of its life, dusted everything and your mother still found dirt to complain about. Any cleaner and this place would be like a laboratory with air seals around the windows."

Dudley just chuckled and said "That's just my Mother; she has always been like that, you know, ever since my cousin."

Veronica just stood at the window looking outside with her arms folded and chewed her lip.

Dudley had explained that his cousin Harry had lived with them for a few years and was a bit unstable. This had explained why they never saw him or heard from him and why his parents would flinch at the sound of his name or mention of him. Dudley had even exaggerated a few instances of his childhood saying that Harry had trashed the house several times; he even once caught an owl and let it loose in the house.

Veronica had filed Harry away in the same area of her mind as Dudley's pipe smoking and thought it best not to ask any more. Although she had sneakily mentioned her uncle Harold a few times during the dinner when she wanted to stop Mrs. Dursley from tutting at a newly found smear or smudge.

It wasn't until after the birth of their first child that Veronica felt the need to say something about the odd behaviour coming from her husband. Her mother and father in law would visit constantly and often poke or prod their grandson for reasons only known to them. When he would do nothing but cry at them they would smile calmly at each other, sit back in their seats and continue with the conversation they were all in the middle of.

Veronica still had a bawling child in her arms as they all waved the Dursley's off as she asked Dudley.

"Why are they always poking and prodding Emerson? It's like they want him to do something. What on Earth could they want him to do?"

Dudley swallowed.

"Nothing dear, they are just a bit odd at times. They might be looking to see if he's some sort of genius, must have read about it in a book or something."

Veronica thought what he said made some sense as it was not often that Mrs. Dursley was handing her one book or another on parenting or trying to give her opinion on how young Emerson was raised.

"Still I think it's very odd that they seem to enjoy it after he cries like that. Poking a baby and all he does is cry and something to be excited about?" She had asked him angrily as he went back inside.

Dudley just shrugged and kept quiet. If only she had known exactly what his parents were looking for and why they were so excited when they didn't find it. As long as his family was completely normal she would never need to know. But she would soon know and so would all of the Dursley's.

It was Emerson Dursley's second birthday and Dudley's aunt Marge was coming to visit. No matter how much Veronica would state that there would be no dogs in this house to Dudley as soon as he opened the door Marjorie had bustled past him with three large Bulldogs who she immediately led into the lounge where all the presents were stacked neatly in the centre.

"Must sit down, been a long trip. I won't say no to a stiff drink either." She bellowed as she sat roughly down in Dudley's favourite chair while her bull dogs made themselves comfortable on the rest of the seats. Marjorie Dursley was a solid woman, larger than her younger brother Mr. Dursley and twice as loud. She had prized her breed of bull dogs and had taken to keeping her best breeders wherever she went so as to "stop the competition steeling their seed".

The rest of the Dursley's came after Marge and were carrying armfuls of presents and food. Veronica was glad to see that Mrs. Dursley was looking at Marge, who had now taken off her shoes and was rubbing her gnarled and cracked feet, with the same look of disdain that she had on her face. Mrs. Dursley saw her looking and straightened her face although she did give Veronica a curt nod as if to say "I know" and then made her way into the kitchen to help prepare lunch.

It wasn't until halfway through preparations that Marjorie had noticed the lack of a child to whom the party was for and instead of walking into the kitchen enquire about him bellowed.

"Where is the young tyke?" She had now drunk two glasses of wine and was on her third while her feet were resting on a large wrapped present that was on the floor in front of her.

"He is sleeping at the moment. I'll get him up before we start lunch." Veronica explained, scowling at the direction the large woman's voice had come from.

"Nonsense!" Came the short reply. And before Veronica could do anything to stop her Marjorie had heaved herself up off the arm chair, swallowed the rest of her drink in one gulp and had rushed up the stairs, her three dogs trailing behind. Veronica was wiping her hands furiously as Mr. Dursley just looked down at the paper he was showing Dudley that had the article of the newest drilling parts from Germany and Dudley was staring intently to where his father was pointing. Mrs. Dursley, who had finished cutting the carrots was now cutting nothing but air while staring intently at her work and avoiding all confrontations with Marjorie who, just like herself, he gotten worse over the years.

"Honestly" Hissed Veronica as she rushed up the stairs.

Dudley was convinced that if his wife was not so refined that her constant use of the word 'honestly' would be replaced with a much more colourful vocabulary.

Veronica had not even reached the top of the stairs when they had all heard Marjorie call out to baby Emerson to wake up which was then followed by a loud bang, like a fire cracker. The rest of the Dursley's, after hearing the noise had already made it to the top of the stairs and as all four of them tried to squeeze through the hallway they were met with three large dogs trying to run back down stairs.

After forcing her way through all the arms, legs, claws and bad breath Veronica ran into her son's bedroom to see Marge laid out on the floor unconscious, the light bulb above her was black and smoking and her son was standing up in her crib smiling at her. She ran to him and picked him up as Marge began to stir. Mr. Dursley helped his sister sit up while Mrs. Dursley stared wide eyed and fearful at her grandson. Dudley entered the room last and slowly went to stand next to his wife but he kept a close watch on his son.

"What's happened?" Marge asked drowsily.

"Nothing marge, nothing at all, you got yourself a bit too excited. Must have knocked the light and gotten a bit of a shock." Mr. Dursley helped her to her feet and then led her back down stairs promising her a comfy seat and another drink. Mrs. Dursley gave one last fearful look and then rushed after Mr. Dursley explaining they might need to take her to a doctor just in case. Against Marjorie's wishes the Dursley's packed her and her dogs back into their car before zooming off down the street.

Veronica could only stand stiff as everything had happened so fast.

"Well I never. Honestly!" Dudley tended to agree. His family's oddities might have stretched too far this time and if this was indeed what all of them had feared then this was only the start of his troubles.

"Well I guess it is for the best." He said as he reached up to the black smoldering light above him. He could barely reach the light and even though Marjorie was a big woman Dudley was taller so Veronica had no idea how she could have reached it let alone get an electric shock from it.

"Don't worry Veronica, I'll call the electrician tomorrow and get it fixed. In the meantime we had better finish lunch, the birthday boy is awake."

Veronica snapped out of her trance just as a stream of questions began rushing around inside her head. She struggled to push them to the back of her mind but this time proved a lot more difficult than all the other times. This time it had almost endangered her son and she would walk on hot coals before seeing any harm come to him.

"When I see that Aunt of yours she had better prepare herself for a a stern word or two. Acting like that around a small child, what was she thinking?"

Dudley just shrugged again and said.

"It's just Marge, you know, she's a-"

"-Bit odd! I know!" Veronica interrupted angrily.

She placed Emerson in Dudley's arms before rushing downstairs and back into the kitchen. She was still in the kitchen while Dudley was in the yard pushing Emerson on a swing when the Dursley's had returned. They had thought it best that Marjorie stay at their house and have a lie down to calm herself after all the excitement.

"Better for her there than here after behaving like that. A grown adult getting so excited she broke a light and electrocuted herself. What if she had hurt your grandson?"

Dudley had never heard his wife like this before and thought it best to hurry back inside in case an argument broke out. He rushed into the kitchen only to see his father looking sheepish and apologising under his breath, muttering something about his sister being a bit of a drunk. His mother, after catching sight of Emerson gave a small squeak of shock which she tried to disguise as a cough and then she too apologised for Marjorie's behaviour as she explained that she drank excessively and at one of Dudley's birthdays had even passed out drunk and could not remember her weeklong visit at all.

Dudley knew all too well that his mother was referring to the time that Aunt Marge had provoked Harry and he had made her swell up like a balloon and float away. Some wizards had to come and put her back to normal and then erase her memory so she wouldn't remember any of it.

"No harm done though, eh Emerson? Time for pressies." Mr. Dursley bustled over to his grandson while Mrs. Dursley still kept her distance as everyone filed into the lounge, the smell of roast lamb was beginning to fill up the kitchen.

Mr. Dursley held Emerson on his knee as he began pointing out all of the presents while Dudley went to get his camera. Veronica was still convinced there was something amiss but watching Mr. Dursley happily bounce Emerson on his knee distracted her. In fact the whole day would have returned to normal if the car outside hadn't backfired causing Mrs. Dursley to shriek with fright. She cried out as Mr. Dursley, who was now pretending he was a horse was startled so much he threw Emerson high into the air. As Veronica watched in a slow motion panic as he son through the air, laughing as if it was the best game in the world landed on his head in the centre of the lounge and then proceeded to bounce around the room.

Mr. Dursley's face went white, if he wasn't blinking so much he would have looked dead. Mrs. Dursley was as white as her husband but her eyes and mouth were wide open as if she had just seen her long dead parents walk into the room. Veronica was too anxious to be shocked but seeing her son unharmed and her in laws looking like they had seen something so horrible that words could not express she began to panic.

Dudley, who was standing on the stairs, his camera in his hand, had witnessed the entire scene and knew. He was in trouble.

In what seemed like a dream Veronica rushed her son back up to his room and placed him carefully back in his cot, double and triple checking for scrapes or broken bones. Then she had to run down the stairs and to the kitchen to turn off the oven that was now smoking as the roast was being burnt inside. She was then back in the lounge with a glass of brandy in one hand and a bag of frozen vegetables in another. The Brandy she had to shove in Mr. Dursley's hand as he had not moved since he had thrown Emerson. The frozen vegetables she placed behind Mrs. Dursley's head who had fainted and knocked her head on the arm of the sofa next to her as she fell to the floor.

"Dudley!" She called, looking up at her husband who was still standing on the stairs, open mouthed and with the same white face as his father. He seemed to shake himself out of his stupor and finished climbing down the stairs, the camera still in his hand.

"What the hell is going on?" Veronica cried out to all of them. Mr. Dursley was startled by her outburst and spilt some of his brandy which he then proceeded to swallow in large gulps. Mrs. Dursley groaned slightly but stayed where she was, the colour was still not back in her face yet.

"I have ignored a lot of odd things from you lot but this is the last straw! Grown women breaking bulbs, poking babies, odd pipe smoking rituals in the backyard and now this!" At the mention of the pipe smoking Mr. Dursley turned to look at his son who was now sinking lower and lower into his chair. His father gave him a stern, questioning gaze as Mr. Dursley knew that Dudley did not smoke.

"Can someone, anyone, explain to me what the hell is happening here?"

Dudley cleared his throat slightly.

"I think it might be best if we get an outsiders opinion." He said softly.

"We might need to get some help." He seemed to be talking to himself he was talking so softly.

"From who?" Veronica asked.

"Harry." Dudley replied.

Mr. Dursley flinched at the mention of this name so hard the glass in his hand slipped from his grip and shattered on the floor.

"What does your cousin have to do with any of this?" Veronica asked, none of this was making any sense to her but it was to Mr. Dursley as the wheels in his head began to churn again he began to understand all too well what this had to do with Harry Potter.

"He might be able to help." Dudley said, so quiet this time that Veronica could barely hear him.

There was a sound coming from Mr. Dursley like someone had let the plug out of a bath tub. A strangled gurgle from his throat that was getting louder and turning his face a darker shade of purple than Veronica had ever seen.

"IT'S ALL HIS LOT ISN'T IT!?" He bellowed, loud enough to make Mrs. Dursley sit bolt upright.

"Whose lot?" Veronica asked.

Mr. Dursley was now on his feet and was standing in front of Dudley pointing at him with an outstretch finger like he was brandishing a sword.

"All these years we kept him away and no mention of him and you're still talking to him? Smoking a pipe in the backyard? You don't smoke boy!"

Veronica was sitting on the lounge silently watching her now father in law shaking with fury. Mrs. Dursley was still sitting on the ground but was gently stroking one of Mr. Dursley's legs to try and calm him down.

"We told you no more of him or his rotten lot after the absolute nightmare they all put us through and you still want to put your family in jeopardy? Just think of your mother and all she's been through and now this?"

He waived his arms around the lounge room as if to say that everything that had gone wrong was somehow all Harry's fault.

Dudley stiffened in his seat and stood up to face his father, moving very slowly as if any sudden movement would put his father in another rage. Where Mr. Dursley was large and squishy Dudley was taller and much more solid although under his father's eyes that were almost burning red he was still cowering slightly.

"It's not that it's his fault, it can't be. I haven't seen him in years and we only send each other Christmas cards." He explained.

"You what?" Mrs. Dursley asked, horrified, as she tried getting to her feet unsuccessfully. Mr. Dursley turned to help her and Veronica could only watch as she was not understanding any of this.

"Every year?" Mr. Dursley asked abruptly. "Every year pretending to smoke a pipe so no one would know?"

Dudley flinched. He had no idea how his father had figured out his cunning ruse but it had been a good cover story that had worked over the last few years.

Every Christmas Eve he would wait outside for an owl to arrive with a card for him and then he gave a card to the owl who took it back to Harry. After he read the Christmas card that was casual pleasantries and information about his growing family Dudley would burn it and go back in the house. He would still smell of smoke but all this time Veronica had just assumed that was the smell of the pipe but never realized that Dudley had never smoked the pipe in all that time.

"Sorry." Veronica interrupted, weakly looking at each of them.

"But I still have no clue what is happening."

"I'm not telling her!" Mr. Dursley roared pulling Mrs. Dursley back on her feet.

"I want no part of this! No part!" He then led her to the front door, opened it and slammed it shut behind him. Dudley and Veronica heard his car start and the engine roared as he drove over their front garden and screeched down the street and out of earshot.

The sound had seemed to frighten Emerson who could now be heard crying from his room and Veronica left her husband who was still standing and staring at the front door to go and see to him. After calming him down and letting him play with some of his new toys she made sure the baby monitor was on and went back to the lounge. Dudley was now sitting in his chair with a look of complete exhaustion and he jumped as he heard her approach.

"Dud." She said softly but he shook his head.

"I can't explain. Don't know how. Best we forget about all of this and go to bed."

He then left the lounge and went upstairs to their bedroom. She checked her watch and saw it was only 4:30 in the afternoon. Far too early for bed but when she checked on Dudley was already in his pajamas and under the blankets. She softly closed the bedroom door as Dudley laid there facing away from the door his eyes wide open and his mind racing. He had no idea how to fix any of this, it had all happened so quickly and now he was in far more trouble than he had first thought.

He must have dozed off sometime through the night only to be woken up by the front door bell. He rolled over and felt his wife was sleeping next to him, she must have come to bed after he had fallen asleep. Trying not to wake her up he trundled sleepily down the stairs to the front door while checking the clock that was hanging in the hall.

"Who the hell is visiting at 5 in the morning?" He muttered to himself.

Stifling a yawn he opened the door to see his parents, still in the clothes they were wearing the day before, standing on his doorstep. His mother was looking as if she had come from a funeral her face was so very white while his father was looking as if it was his funeral that they had attended.

"Sorry. Bit of a shock. Can we come in?" His father asked grumpily. Dudley could see the rings around both their eyes and realized that neither of them had slept.

"I'll put the kettle on." Dudley heard Veronica say, he turned around to see her already walking down the stairs and heading to the kitchen.

He was now realising just how strong his wife was that even after all of yesterday's events she was still level headed and thinking straight. Unlike his mother who was standing in the hall not saying or doing anything, just swaying slightly like she was dizzy. It wasn't until Mr. Dursley took her by the hand and calmly led her to a seat that she began to move.

After the kettle had boiled and tea was poured and each person was silently sipping their tea Mr. Dursley began to speak.

"Your mother and I have been talking." He began, slowly at first. Each word he was speaking made his face look like he could taste each word. And by the look of his face they each tasted horrible.

"And we think you might be right." He paused and Dudley looked at his wife who was looking just as confused as he was.

"Even though it might not be what we think it is, he may be completely normal mind!" He seemed desperate to keep this one thought of hope.

"Could have just been some unexplainable thing." Mr. Dursley trailed off again.

It was a minute or two before Mrs. Dursley was roused from her state and elbowed her husband who was now staring into his cup.

"Sorry dear, lost in thought." He mumbled.

Veronica had not touched her tea and nor had her husband, both of them were sitting opposite Dudley's parents and were waiting in complete silence for Mr. Dursley to continue.

"Well, we thought, maybe, for the best you see." He cleared his throat.

"We, your mother and I"

"You both what?" Veronica asked impatiently.

"Your mother and I think it best if your cousin check in on the situation." He spoke as if the very words he were saying was enough to cause him to be sick all over the floor.

"Just to be safe." He added.

"I don't understand." Veronica said. She had not understood the day before and was still not understanding today. It was as if her husband and extended family were talking about things that only they could understand.

"Is Harry some kind of doctor?" She asked as Mrs. Dursley flinched at his name and spilt her tea on Mr. Dursley's hand that was holding tightly onto one of her boney knees.

"A doctor?" Mr. Dursley asked thoughtfully.

"Of sorts." this seemed a decent enough explanation to him.

"But I don't know where he lives." Dudley muttered.

"But you've been sending ruddy cards all these years!" his father yelled and then he yelled again as Mrs. Dursley spilt more hot tea on his hand.

"Yes. Only cards and there's no address. I don't have his number either. I doubt he even has a phone."

Veronica had had enough.

"Dudley Dursley you tell me right now what is going on or you won't need to call your Doctor cousin because I will take Emerson and go to one myself if you don't start talking sense."

She was on the verge of tears and Dudley patted her leg gently as he looked to his father and mother who seemed to remember they had cups of tea in the hands and were now holding them up and hiding their faces and hiding behind them.

Dudley thought the best way to explain this was to be honest and just say it all at once. As impossible as it would sound it could not have been more impossible than what was already happening.

"My cousin Harry; the one we don't talk about and the reason that odd things are happening and the reason my parent keep poking Emerson to see how he reacts. The reason we don't talk about Harry or see him is because he is a wizard."

He said all of this so fast that it took a minute or two for the words to sink in.

"What?" She asked after thinking it over.

"I know it sounds crazy but Harry is a wizard. His parents were wizards who were murdered by an evil wizard when he was a baby. He lived with us as a kid, went to a wizard school and now is married to a witch and they have three children all of which a wizards or witches."

"He has children?" Asked Mr. Dursley, shocked. He had never wanted to think of his nephew let alone wonder if he had married.

"And you all believe this?" Veronica asked hesitantly.

No one said anything but as she watched Mrs. Dursley who was absent mindedly nodding until their eyes met.

"My sister, Harry's mother, was a witch. My parents loved her for it and she was always talking nonsense about magic and spells and wands or broom sticks. I hated her for it and her good for nothing husband. They gave our family so much grief dying the way they did and leaving their son for us to raise all those years."

She spoke with so much contempt in her voice it made Veronica wonder if Mrs. Dursley thought that Harry's parent had died on purpose just to annoy her.

After a few moments Mr. Dursley cleared his throat and continued.

"But we don't know how this happened. We haven't a drop of magic in us, we are more normal than most. Look at Dudley, normal as anyone. This magic must skip a few generations."

Mr. Dursley added his last thought while looking sidelong at his wife. She caught his meaning and gasped in shock.

"You're blaming me?" She was outraged.

"Well it can't be my blood. You've met my sister!" They began arguing furiously at each other over whose bloodline could be responsible for this disaster.

"It might be my fault." Veronica interrupted; loud enough for the Dursley's to stop fighting.

She looked at her husband who was now watching her in shock his eyes open and mouth agape.

"I never told you this, never thought it was an issue. I found out by myself and never asked anyone to confirm it."

She winced slightly as she was now confessing to keeping a secret from him for so long.

"I'm adopted. Or at least I am very sure that I am. I have never met my real parents nor did I want to try and find them. My parents were so good to me I never felt the need. I found out in high school when we studied blood types. My blood is type B and both my parents are A. I have kept it to myself all these years."

Dudley didn't say anything at first, just wrapped an arm around his wife and hugged her tightly.

"It's alright. I'm your family now." he said softly. Veronica wiped a tear from her eyes and leant in to her husband's hug.

Mrs. Dursley had never seen her son act so kindly before and pulled a tissue out of her pocket to dab her eyes. Mr. Dursley was considering this new information and coming to the conclusion that all of this was now Veronica's fault and was just about to say so when Dudley glared at him so furiously he swallowed his words and the rest of his tea, which was now cold.

"Still." Dudley said. "Doesn't help us figure out how to get in touch with Harry, It won't be Christmas for another two months. Who knows what might happen between now and then?"

Veronica was still quite tearful as she watched all of them squirm uncomfortably as if seeing this relative of theirs was worse than booking an appointment with the dentist.

All of them were silent as the sun began to light up the lounge, the baby monitor that Veronica had next to her squawked to life announcing that Emerson had just woken up. She rushed upstairs to get him and when she returned placed him on Mr. Dursley's lap, who was not too please at the thought of holding someone that might be a wizard, but the fact that it was his only grandson seemed to win him over and he began to chuckle as Emerson grabbed ahold of his bushy moustache.

"It might work." Dudley muttered to himself. He had been thinking too much about trying to get in touch with Harry and had now began formulating plans for Harry to get in touch with him. The thought occurred to him when he remembered all the times Owls came flying in to the house after Harry had done some magic that he wasn't supposed to do.

"What might?" Mr. Dursley asked, trying to pull Emerson's hands away from his moustache without getting too may hairs ripped out.

"Dudley?" He asked again.

Dudley said nothing as he nodded to himself, stood up and went to the phone that was hanging on the wall in the kitchen. After flicking through the phone book he found a number and quickly dialed.

"Who are you calling?" Veronica asked but was hushed by Dudley.

"It's ringing." he said. After a few more seconds of silence he spoke to the person on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Dudley Dursley here, can I speak with Morris Cartwright? Yes I'll hold."

He waited for a few more seconds and then spoke again.

"Hello? Morris? Dudley here, from Grieve lumber yard where you did those stories? Yes I have a story you will not believe. Wizards are real and I can prove it. No I am not drunk! Very sober and telling the truth. Send a camera crew to my house and I will prove everything."

He then proceeded to tell the person on the other end of the telephone line his address and then hung the phone back up on the wall.

"That might get someone's attention." He said as he moved back into the lounge room.

"Morris was the fellow who kept reporting all the protestors at the lumber yard." Dudley explained to his wife while grinning and rubbing his hands together.

"Breakfast anyone?" He asked, telling them all that the film crew would be at least a half hour.

They all filed into the kitchen and Veronica and Mrs. Dursley were busy with the bacon and eggs while Dudley was showing his father how to work their new espresso machine. She was having such a lovely conversation with Mrs. Dursley who was living in complete denial and Veronica was thinking about how this was the best breakfast ever with no tutting from Mrs. Dursley or any disagreements between Dudley and Mr. Dursley over what was better out of wood saws or drill bits. It was all a very pleasant breakfast and they had almost finished eating when there was a knock on the door.

Then the reality set in once again, the denial they had worked up was gone in an instant as they all rose slowly to their feet.

There was another knock on the door.

Dudley quickly jogged to the door and opened it to allow three men inside, two holding several large cases of equipment and one holding nothing but a notepad.

The two with the cases began unpacking and setting up lights and a large camera while the man with the notepad began asking Dudley a series of questions and was writing down all of Dudley's answers in his notepad.

"Everyone, this is Morris." Dudley introduced the small man with the notepad. He squinted at all of them like he had forgotten to ear his reading glasses.

"Right." The notepad man had said after writing down something in his book.

"Just take a seat there; get comfy and we'll start. Don't look at the camera; look at me and no one else."

Dudley nodded his head as he sat in his chair, blinking into the spot light that was now blinding him.

"Sorry." one of the other men said and the light was moved out of his eyes. Everyone else took place behind the camera except the man with the notepad who was sitting in a chair opposite Dudley, next to the camera.

"Well then, let's get this over with." Morris said coldly as if he had not believed anything that Dudley had said.

He was about to start speaking when there was four loud cracks like someone had let off some fireworks. Four men had appeared out of nowhere and each of them was holding a small stick in their hands that Dudley recognized as a magic wand. Each of them was wearing long dark robes and one of them had a green and yellow scarf around his neck. Before they could mutter any spell Dudley stood up and screamed.

"Wait! I have to talk to Harry Potter!"

The four men had stopped moving but were all watching Dudley, each of them still had their wands outstretched. The camera men and Morris were watching all of this in silence as well until one of the four men looked to his companions, nodded his head and said;

"I know where he is, I'll go get him." There was another loud crack and he was gone.

"Please tell me the camera got that." Morris had said quietly, but not quietly enough as one of the remaining wizards pointed his wand at the camera and it burst into flame.

"Hey!" Morris was now on his feet in anger and shock; the fire had singed his perfectly combed hair. Before he could say anything more the three wizards muttered something and all three of the men from the newsroom collapsed on the floor unconscious.

One of the wizards waved his wand and put out the fire, making the whole camera disappear and then he helped move the unconscious reporters out of the way so the rest of the Dursley's could squeeze past and get into the lounge room. Everyone was so frightened that they looked like stunned animals caught in the headlights of a truck and pressing in close to one another as if they were trying to protect themselves by hiding from view. It took some convincing from the wizards before everyone was seated and then the three wizards stood silently in the hall outside the Lounge room as they watched and waited.

After what seemed like an hour there was a crack and the wizard who had disappeared before was back and standing on the middle of the living room. He looked around him from the stunned Reporters to the shocked Dursley's and then to his companions in the hall before saying.

"He's on his way." He spoke in a thick Irish Accent.

Dudley was now bracing himself for what was to come, his parents were tight lipped and silent although he could hear them both whimper occasionally. Veronica was silent as well although she yelped when Emerson, who had been ignored up until now had bitten her hand. He grinned up at her as she pulled her hand away revealing his four front teeth.

Dudley could feel his stomach aching as he waited, he didn't know which was worse, the waiting or the fact that his cousin, a man who he had not laid eyes on in years was about to magically appear in his house in front of his family.

He didn't have to wait long until there were two more loud cracks like gunfire, only this time they were outside the house. Craning his head to see out the window Dudley caught the sight of two people walk up to the front door. The doorbell rang and one of the wizards walked to the front door and opened it.

A tall man with dark, messy hair walked in a smiled solemnly to the man waiting in the hallway. He wore glasses and Dudley caught sight of his bright green eyes before he looked away. All four original wizards were huddling with Harry and having a hushed conversation. The front door was still open so Dudley couldn't see the other person that had arrived but could tell by the voice that it was a woman.

After a few minutes of talking the three wizards took out their wands again and all the Dursley's shrunk back into their chairs away from them. The three wizards smiled at them as they grabbed hold of the unconscious reporters and with three cracks, louder than before all of them disappeared, cases, notepad and all.

The man who Dudley recognized as his cousin walked into the Living Room, the Witch was closing the front door and Dudley could see she had Flaming red hair that was oddly familiar to him. Harry smiled weakly at his cousin and Dudley saw the thick lightning bolt shaped scar had faded slightly over the years but was still noticeable.

Harry didn't speak to any of the Dursley's; instead he spoke to the remaining wizard who was still standing in the middle of the lounge room.

"Thanks Seamus, I'll sort the rest of this out."

The wizard smiled and with a final loud pop, disappeared.

Harry Potter stood and smiled at all of the cowering faces of the Dursley's, faces he had not intended seeing for a long time, if ever. But here they all were, frightened as ever about him and his magical world. There was a new face that Harry did not recognize and she was holding a young child in her arms. The baby had blonde hair and looked slightly like Dudley but nowhere near as fat as Harry could remember.

He was watching the baby try and bite its mother's hands when the witch behind him poked him in the back.

"Harry." She whispered.

Harry smiled back at her and they both sat in the empty armchairs where the reporter was sitting and the camera had been set.

Harry sighed long and deep as he sat down.

"You know Dud, there are other ways to get my attention besides causing a lot of trouble and issues for the Ministry."

"Sorry." Dudley mumbled. "Desperate."

Harry nodded as he looked around at everyone now watching him.

"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia." He nodded at them. They slowly nodded a greeting back to him and began to move their stiff bodies and relax slightly in their seats.

"Well?" Harry asked holding his hands out.

"What's this about?"

Dudley cleared his throat and adjusted himself in his chair wanting to look like this was all normal and copy the way his cousin was sitting; Comfortably, and not stiff like he had been sitting for so long.

"Well, before we start this is my wife Veronica." He motioned to Veronica who was now trying to distract the baby with a beaded necklace. The bay was chewing on some of the thick beads and judging by how the majority of them looked this was not the first time he had done so.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry, Dudley's cousin and this is my wife Ginny."

The witch that came in with Harry greeted her happily while Veronica could only get a single word out.

"Hi." Veronica had to try and swallow, her mouth was suddenly so dry she could barely speak.

"This is our son Emerson, he turned two yesterday."

Harry could see some unopened presents strewn around the lounge room. He didn't say anything about them as he waited for Dudley to finish speaking.

But Dudley couldn't get the words out. His mouth was now as dry as ever and he was trying to furiously to speak he began to choke. Ginny conjured a glass of water out of thin air and handed it to him as he greedily drank half of the water before spitting out a mouthful of water once he realised where the cup of water had come from. The water soaked his parents and they were half way looking shocked when Ginny waved her wand lazily at them and they were both instantly dry.

Instead of looking at her thankfully they both looked at her with shock and disgust and Mrs. Dursley . Ginny looked to Harry who just quickly shook her head and she tucked her wand away.

Dudley finished looking at the cup in his hand before handing it to his wife and sat in his chair panting slightly.

"Sorry. Not used to it all yet." Harry nodded and waited.

He had to admit he liked this feeling. Harry imagined that this must be what Albus Dumbledore, the old school headmaster of Hogwarts School for witchcraft and wizardry, and mentor for Harry must have felt through all of their encounters. Harry tried to play of the wise wizard who was waiting patiently but was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Why after all these years were the Dursley's trying to get in contact with him. Besides yearly Christmas cards with simple greetings and well wishes Harry did not hear from his Mother's side of the family at all. He was always caught up with Ginny and her family and was far too distracted with work to worry too much about the Dursley's.

"Well." Dudley composed himself.

"The thing is that yesterday when Aunt Marge visited."

Harry grunted as he remembered the woman he hated more than Voldemort, the dark wizard and he despised her almost as much as Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge was a professor at Hogwarts for a year and was an evil witch who used her position in the Ministry to try and take over Hogwarts. Harry looked at the back of his hand and could still faintly see the words "I must not tell lies", something that Umbridge had made him write with a magic quill that used the writer's blood as ink and cut the words into the writer's hand.

"Well when she visited she frightened Emerson and there was a loud bang from his room and when we went up saw that light bulb had blown and Marge unconscious on the floor. Didn't think anything of it, just thought it was an accident.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. Of course the Dursley's would find any excuse for something out of the ordinary.

Dudley cleared his throat again.

"Well after that when we had restored order Dad was playing with Emerson when a car backfired, Mum squealed and Dad got so frightened he threw Emerson high into the air and then instead of falling to the floor went bouncing around the room."

Dudley explained all of this quickly while Harry was remembering a similar story he had heard from one of his school friends. Neville Longbottom was accidentally dropped out of a window as a baby and was unhurt as he bounced down the driveway.

As Harry remembered this he began to understand, he looked side on to Ginny who was still listening to Dudley talk about how it could have been a simple accident and nothing out of the ordinary at all.

Dudley was still trying to find a reasonable explanation for it all when a large brown owl swooped in from the open kitchen window and dropped a roll of paper on Harry's lap and then flapped it's wings twice and was gone.

Everyone watched in silence as Harry unrolled the parchment. Dudley was dreading what was on that piece of paper when another, smaller white owl flew in and dropped another piece of paper.

"Bloody owls" Harry heard Mr. Dursley growl.

Harry remembered with some fondness that his uncle hated and detested all things magical, including Harry's pet owl Hedwig. Hedwig was a constant annoyance to Mr. Dursley while Harry lived with them and Harry still missed her. She had died in Harry's last year of school saving Harry from a spell that had killed her instead.

Harry grunted as he continued reading the first roll of parchment and then unrolled the second and began to read.

After he finished both of them he handed them both to Ginny who read through both of them. Harry looked quizzically around the room and when he found what he was looking for he walked to the end of the lounge room where the fireplace was. He picked up the bottle of Brandy that Veronica had placed their last night and after pulling his wand out he made four glasses appear on the fireplace. Filling all four of them he handed one each to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, Veronica and then finally Dudley. As each of them stared at the glass in their hands Harry went back to his seat.

"The first letter I got was from the ministry, they have fixed the memories of those men, the story being that you called in a hoax. We had to keep that part of events because unfortunately all the telephone calls are recorded and it would be too much work to erase them. I'm sorry to say that you will be getting a small fine for your prank call."

He smiled at Dudley who, thinking that this bad news was the reason for his drink took a small sip. He saw his father out of the corner of his eye finish his drink in a gulp and then take Mrs. Dursley's drink and finish it as well.

Harry saw this too and knew that his Uncle had guessed what he was about to say next.

"The second letter was also from the Ministry, more specifically the department of Magic and Muggle Monitoring, they monitor all areas of muggle communication in case someone sees or hears something they should not. It was this department that noted the use of magic at this address and also the phone call that you made and were the ones who sent the Muggle Modification Squad. The four wizards who were here before are supposed to respond to any Muggle who accidentally stumbles on something Magic."

Harry stopped and looked at each of them in turn before speaking again.

"The Monitoring department has noted that small amounts of magic had been used in this house twice in the last two day. I am so sorry to say that Emerson is most likely a wizard."

Dudley felt his whole body go numb and his vision got very blurred. If his wife had not held tightly onto his hand he had a sickening feeling that he would have fainted.

Harry was looking at him now with sympathy in his eyes.

"I am very sorry." He said sincerely.

"I had hoped that with me gone that none of you would need to worry about me, or any other wizard, ever again."

Mrs. Dursley was now sobbing on her husband's shoulder while he was trying to reach the bottle of brandy that was on the fireplace, just out of arm's reach.

"But what does that mean?" Veronica asked softly. She was looking at the reactions to this news and was thinking that her son had some incurable disease. The fact that he was a wizard was filling her with as much dread as those around her.

"It's alright." Ginny said to her reassuringly.

Ginny had heard a lot about the Dursley and knew why they were behaving like this. If it was any other family the reaction to this news might have been a lot better.

"Your son has magical powers, it isn't as bad as this lot are making out." She jerked her head in the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. Mr. Dursley had forced himself up and retrieved the bottle and was now trying to drink the entire contents.

Veronica was looking to all the reactions around her and then to her son who was happily chewing her beaded necklace still. He was so happy and content that it made her smile.

"Well so what if he is a wizard!" She said loudly and firmly to her Mother and Father in law.

Mr. Dursley looked at her with confusion, the Brandy bottle still upside down in his hand was now spilling what was left in it on his jacket.

Mrs. Dursley stopped wailing and was watching her with red eyes, sniffing slightly. Harry handed her a tissue which she took cautiously her eyes narrowing at the box in his hand as if to make sure he had definitely picked it up and had not made it appear with magic.

Ginny was about to clear up the spill Mr. Dursley had made but he caught her eye and glared at her so she thought better of it. Let him stay sticky, she thought to herself as she let go of the wand she was about to retrieve from her cloak.

"I don't care if he is different. He is still my son and he is still your grandson!"

Mr. Dursley sputtered as he tried to defend himself and Harry who was looking at Veronica with something close to admiration now turned to Dudley.

"You picked a winner there Dud." He said approvingly, grinning broadly.

Dudley smiled weakly and wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"He might be a wizard but even if he is are you going to cast him out? Ignore his existence? Would you really do that to family?" She asked, accusingly at the Dursley's who were getting more and more uncomfortable.

Harry cleared his throat and Veronica looked over at him.

"Oh." She said, realising that the Dursley's had indeed cast out and ignored the existence of a family member.

"Sorry." she said. Harry just shrugged and gave her a look, like it could have happened to anybody.

For several achingly long minutes the Dursley's twitched and fidgeted in their seats until it was Mrs. Dursley who broke the silence.

"But what would the neighbours think?" She asked, imagining the looks of disgrace she might get if people ever found out.

"Who cares?" Veronica asked.

"Move if it's so important to you! Retire and live where no one knows who you are, let alone cares about what your family gets up to."

Harry smiled again at Dudley. In all his life he would never imagine that the Dursley's would welcome magic into their lives. He would have believed that Voldemort was back from the dead and living the life of a juggler before even imagining that Mr. and Mrs. Dursley would consider having a magic relative.

Dudley, inspired by his wife's bravery and common sense finally found his voice.

"We won't have to live with your lot will we?" He asked. Realising that he had insulted Ginny as he had spoken, her face was turning a deep shade of scarlet that matched her hair.

"I mean, I have work and so does Veronica." He added, trying to save himself.

Ginny just said "Hmm." And then shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't have to move." She said firmly.

"But it means you've got to be extra careful that nothing magical happens when Muggles are watching."

"Muggles? You keep saying that word, what does it mean?" Veronica asked her.

"Muggles, non magical people. Like them." Ginny pointed again to the Dursley's who had now stopped speaking and were deep in thought.

"Will you help us?" Dudley asked quietly, turning to face Harry.

"With what?" Harry asked, shocked.

Dudley shrugged as he was now avoiding the piercing gaze coming from his parents.

"I don't know. Everything?" He shrugged again.

"We have no clue, about school, or any of it."

In Harry's life Dudley had only ever shocked him once before. When the Dursley's were being shipped out of their house for safety Dudley had voiced concern about Harry's wellbeing. Now here he sat, the cousin that had bullied him his entire childhood with concern for his sons upbringing. A lot had changed over the years for Dudley Dursley to be worried about sending his son to a wizarding school while his parents were lamenting the fact that their grandson is a wizard.

Harry thought long and deep before he answered.

"On one condition." He said finally.

"Oh here it is. The one thing that casts us out for good. What's your condition boy? No Grandma or Grandpa Dursley?" Mr. Dursley spat the words out with venom as if Harry had planned all along to punish them by taking their only son and grandson away.

Harry swallowed the words he wanted to say to his uncle and shook his head.

"No." He said forcibly to his Aunt and Uncle.

"My one condition is that you, and the two of you" He said to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley "In fact all of you have to visit my family."

The choking sound that came from Mr. Dursley was reward enough for Harry.

"Not all at once!" Harry said before Uncle Mr. Dursley could say anything.

He could not imagine that the two of them would survive very long with the entire Weesley family thronging around to see them.

"Just start with your niece and nephews." Harry said to Veronica and Dudley.

"Just so you can see that wizard children aren't so bad. They are all around the same age so it won't hurt anyone introducing them all."

No one spoke. In fact no one moved after Harry had finished speaking. This was against every plan ever made by Mr. Dursley to keep magic out of his life. Mrs. Dursley was now in such a state of shock that she was sitting, unblinking and staring at the floor. Dudley was now thinking it all through, from start to finish trying to think if there was any way he could return his life back to a normal life.

Harry and Ginny were waiting silently for someone to speak and after several minutes of deafening silence it was Veronica, once again, who broke it.

She stood up swiftly and spoke to everyone in the room, looking at each of them in the eye.

"I thought my child was magical _before_ I found out he was a wizard. Now even more so If you'll excuse me the young wizard needs a change."

With that she walked out of the lounge room and up to the Baby's room, the smell of dirty nappy followed them out.

"Well then." Harry said, slapping his thigh.

"Looking forward to having you all over for tea." His smile was only returned by Dudley who was now standing up with his hand outstretched.

"I thought all this madness was over with." Dudley said as Harry shook his hand.

"Me too Diddykins." Harry said.

He winced as Dudley who was much stronger now that when he was a child crushed his hand.

After bidding them a stiff and unwelcome farewell Harry and Ginny walked outside, closed the front door and disappeared with two loud cracks. The sound roused Mrs. Dursley from her state of shock and she began fussing about lunch. As she started clearing up the cold breakfast they had not finished Veronica came back with a freshly changed and cleaner smelling baby to help.

"Nonsense." Mrs. Dursley said as Veronica started helping.

"You've been on your feet nonstop AND with a baby to look after." She bustled Veronica out of the kitchen insisting that she would take care of the cleaning and lunch.

Mr. Dursley now chortled and said under his breath.

"In all my years she has never offered to help clean someone else's house." Veronica smiled as he spoke.

"I heard that! Now come and take out the rubbish!" Came Mrs. Dursley's voice from the kitchen.

Mr. Dursley grimaced.

"Coming dear." He said, sounding defeated.

Veronica would have accepted her in laws acting like proper family in place of all that happened in the last two days, having her mother in law help without offering comments was magic enough.

She sat next to her husband and Dudley took Emerson from her and held the two of them. The last two days may have been close to insanity but this was now only the beginning.

"Will we need to get an owl?" Veronica asked Dudley absent mindedly.

Mrs. Dursley dropped the tray she was cleaning and Mr. Dursley bellowed.

"No ruddy owls!"

Dudley smiled.

"Maybe when my parents have left." He said in barely a whisper so only Veronica could hear him.

The two of them stayed on the couch for nearly an hour until lunch was ready. The pheasant that was waiting to be cooked was now in the rubbish, leftover lamb and salad were in its place. It seemed Mr. Dursley had had his fill of birds.


End file.
